Investment approvals rise in two months

Investments approved by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) surged to P52.93 billion in the first two months of 2025, nearly quadrupling from last year, according to a report by Manila Times..

The 337.8-percent improvement from P12.09 billion, the investment promotion agency said, is an indication of sustained interest in setting up shop in the country's economic zones.

Director General Tereso Panga said late Monday that the PEZA board approved 26 new and expansion projects during a meeting last Feb. 20, bringing the two-month count to 39 compared to 28 a year earlier.

Domestic market enterprises (DMEs) accounted for the bulk at 71 percent or P37.97 billion.

The PEZA said that it had approved 15 DME projects worth over P130 billion since 2024. Jobs expected to be generated also rose to 11,063, up 209.02 percent from 3,580.

"This remarkable upswing reflects our continuous efforts through various foreign investment missions, with more initiatives from diverse industries planned for the rest of the year," Panga said.

"Despite geopolitical challenges, these results underscore the agency's pivotal role in advancing the country's economic resilience through sustained job creation, increased exports and enhanced investment attraction — key factors in accelerating the nation's economic development," he added.

For February alone, the PEZA board approved P22.77 billion in investments, which are expected to generate $241.78 million in exports and 7,793 jobs.

Nine of the projects involve export manufacturing, eight are information technology-business process management projects, three are for the domestic market, two involve facilities development and four are for ecozone developments.

The proposed investments will be distributed across Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Central Luzon, Central and Western Visayas, Ilocos and Davao.

The PEZA said two projects worth a combined P15.98 billion will be set up in Tarlac and Batangas, including a P10.45-billion South Korean ecozone development project that is aligned with the implementation of the Philippines-South Korea free trade agreement.

The investment promotion agency approved P214.176 billion in investments last year, a 21.89-percent increase from 2023's P175.709 billion in 2023.